Insufferable Madness
by solielunami
Summary: When Astrid Hofferson accepts the offer to live in the castle which has been in her family for centuries, she never knew about the quiet but curious whispers that have been going around the chateau. Never one to believe in simple words, she is set to find out herself, perhaps discovering more than she intended.
1. Prologue

Hello! Since this is my first story, I think it would be appropriate to introduce myself. So I'm Solielunami, I come from the Netherlands, meaning English is my second language. :)

After reading the story " The North Tower" from P-Artstypants, I desired the haunted house, ghosts au! She created, with this I wanted to give it a little try myself. Hopefully you're able to enjoy it, I will kind of make up this story as I go, so I'm curious to see how this plays out!

" Here it is. " The driver announced, slightly disoriented, she looked out the window.

The castle, the one she visited frequently during holidays before her uncle got sick, she could barely remember it now. Only vague memories, forgotten in the past through the dealings with her uncle and own matters. Astrid visited it only a few days ago, to take care of some things before she fully moved in. But she looked upon the castle differently now that she knew she was actually gonna live here.

It's walls so tall, looming down upon the gardens. Vegetation unkept, and of course it was, nobody was around here to keep it nice and clean, at least, not of which she was informed of, otherwise they would've done a pretty shitty job.

" You gonna live 'ere? " She could see the look on the driver's face, slightly questionable.

Slowly she nodded, " Yeah, I do. " His eyes narrowed, but then kind of lightened again, " Well, ye seem like the type! " He said, as if trying to change the subject.

She tried to look at herself through the eyes of another.

Saggy blonde hair covering a small part of her face, put in a complicate braid that went down the small of her back, wearing dark clothes combined with a distinct face and piercing eyes.

Mentally she was laughing at his very awkward attempt of changing the subject, though this was kind of stereotyping. She couldn't really judge him though.

Astrid gave no answer but a awkward smile to his statement, and simply said her goodbyes after she grabbed the luggage. He drove away, as she walked to the porch of the eerie but magnificent building.

Arriving there, she fished out the key out of her pocket. After unlocking the door, she grabbed the few bags and suitcases she brought with her and stepped in the castle, _her_ castle.

The hall was quite large, larger than she remembered it to be, in fact, it was huge. Taking it all in, she gave a quick glance at the small table near her, placing her fingers on it, she swiped across it and looked at her fingers. To say she was surprised was an understatement when she found her fingers spotless, this place has been abondoned for a few years, they had said, with no cleaners in employment, she sure as Hel didn't clean it, she knew perfectly fine which rooms she did and which she did _not_ , so how the Hel could it be cleaned?

Deciding to take action upon that later, Astrid grabbed her belongings and walked up upon the grand staircase. If not for the fact she knew this area quite well because of her childhood, and the visit she had beforehand, she was pretty sure she would get lost very easily.

The walls on the first floor were a dark green, which had faded and shraded throughout the long years. Remembering the room she always claimed as her own, she made way. Throughout the walk to the room, she admired the decoration around her, even though everything was old and worn out.

Arriving at her destination, Astrid opened the door. Slowly creaking it open, she peered in. Everything was the same, she realized with a small smile.

Since she was alone in this matter, Astrid took it upon herself and cleaned some parts of the castle herself a few days before. Even though the rest of the house was dusty and foul, she still found it to be more pleasant that at least few rooms which she deemed important for now, were a little clean.

Astrid gave a quick look to her watch, 5 am. Since it was the middle of autumn, it would be getting pretty dark in no time. Luckily, it has been renovated throughout the years when it came to it, a few rooms had electricy, which also contained her room. She began unpacking the things she thought were important for tonight, including her sleepwear, her mobile phone and other necessities.

About an hour later, she called it a night, tired of all the moving and decided to get herself ready for bed. Changing into her pajamas, which consisted of quite baggy sweatpants, an old shirt she owned since she was 17 and, to her own amusement, pink fluffy slippers which gave quite a shocking contrast to the rest of her outfit and surroundings.

" Now the bathroom. " Astrid muttered to herself, not that there was anyone else she could talk with. She assumed.

When she left her room, she realised how one place could totally change with the setting of the sun. Instead of the mysterious rich walls with the most precious decorations, it seemed like the kind of haunted castles you could see in those typical horror movies.

Moonlight illuminating the dusty furniture, creating quite honest bone-chilling shadows, and the all too nagging feeling of looking behind you.

Astrid had none of it, she was not one to get afraid of spooky castles, and went on doing her businesses in the bathroom with ease.

And after texting various persons to let them know she was doing well and went asleep, she settled in the large bed and closed her eyes, resting for now. Not conscious enough to hear the creaking on the floor in the hallway.


	2. Chapter 1 - What Happened?

Exams suck, but at least I'm graduated now, yes! I hope you guys like this chapter, see you next time!

Consciousness awakened her soon in the morning, opening her eyes, she found the sun to be nowhere yet. It must be very early still.

Unlocking her phone, she realized it was around 6 a.m. She gave a frown, damning her sleep pattern. Astrid had wanted to sleep in a little bit, since the last few days had been very busy for her. While it was true that she went to bed extremely early last night, Astrid still found herself to be unexpectedly tired.

She raised herself up to a sitting position in the large bed, turning her eyes to the balcony doors. When she was smaller, she was not allowed to open them, they were always afraid she would climb over the railings and plummet to her death, though they wouldn't let her know about the last part, they found her to be still too young back then for talks about grief and death.

But of course throughout the years of your life, you would get to experience the sadness and hopelessness what death could bring. And at one point in your life, you would go yourself.

Astrid sighed, finding herself lost in thoughts of the past. It was not not good to dwell in the past, she knew, but she has known hard times, and such times were not easily released from her thoughts.

Letting herself fall back into the silk sheets, she closed her eyes. Wondering what this day had in store for her.

The day proved to be quite useful, she got a lot of things done. For example, getting all the food and beverages into the cupboards and drawers. It seemed like there were an endless amount of them, but it was better than having too little space.

After pushing the thousandth drawer back in a day, Astrid decided to call it off for today. Jesus Christ, her back was hurting like Hell. That was the result of standing up for the most part of the day, she thought with a small grimace.

She let herself fall back on the all too welcome couch. Normally, she wasn't as easily tired as she was now. But Astrid could already feel her eyelids drooping. The last thing she saw being the setting sun outside.

Shit, she fell asleep! Cursing at herself inwardly, she opened her eyes, Astrid noted how everything around her was dark. With the exception of the moonlight illuminating some part of the room. What's up with her and falling asleep so quick lately?

Unlocking her phone, she was immediately blinded by the brightness of her phone. Lowering it with narrowed eyes, she checked how late it was. 2 am! What the – BOOM! a loud shattering sound was heard, as if something of very large weight had fallen down upon the floor. Probably something made of very fragile quality.

What the fuck? She thought to herself, fully awake from the shock of the heavy noice. Whereas she was tired before, she was surely wide awake now. Well shit, one day into the house and strange things started happening already. People had 'warned' her about this though, so she should've seen it coming.

Wait, since when did she believe in rumors, rather than her own experience? For all she knew, it could've been something less paranormal. And honestly, she wasn't really one to fully believe in ghosts. She did think they existed, but not with the purpose of spooking people and haunting houses.

With that thought in mind, Astrid stood up and walked to the grand staircase. If she was right, she had heard the sound coming from the hallways on the first floor, since it was quite loud.

When Astrid arrived upstairs, she heard the faint sound of the wind. She frowned and followed it, finding out the location of it was the source of the loud sound too.

Turned out it was her room. Her door, which she was quite sure she closed before leaving, was open. Hesitantly, Astrid stepped in her room, looking around for clues. It did not take long for her to see the large picture she had of her family on the ground, glass shattered. Only then she noted it was there, she remembered it had been hanging there for ages, even when she was a little girl.

Turning it over, Astrid gazed at the art. Memories surfaced again, bittersweet and haunting, as she caressed the painted faces of her family. Seems like the past is always there to remind you of itself, Astrid thought bitterly.

Her fingers moved to the painted version of herself, wiping the dust away, Astrid looked upon her child self again. She remembered little her was so thrilled, her and her family, getting painted, it all sounded so fancy and amazing. And being in close proximity with her whole family for so long, it didn't matter that her feet were hurting from standing too long, it was all worth it.

While deep in thought, Astrid hadn't noticed the pieces of glass among the painting. " Ouch! " She lifted her hand, finding a sharp cut in her palm. Blood oozed out of the wound slowly, dripping down her hand. Ironically, on the painting, right where she stood.

Astrid frowned, just great. Tilting her head, she met the sight of the balcony, the doors fully open.

Astrid paced around the hall, what the heck is she supposed to do? Should she call the police, or should she just let it go this once? It wasn't like she knew what happened upstairs, so she couldn't solve it herself, she had carefully inspected every room in that hallway for possible clues.

As expected, she did not found anything. Or anyone, said a small voice in her head. Astrid nodded her head, shaking away such thoughts. It wasn't like this place secretly was filled with squatters or something. Or is it? The voice said again.

Astrid decided it was best to let go of it this time, next time something happened like this, she would call the police. However, the thought she had no clue what happened and who or what it was didn't sit well with her.

After collecting the stuff she needed to retrieve the pieces of glass scattered across her room, Astrid forced her feet up unto the stairs again.

For some really weird reason she had the feeling of being watched. Jesus Christ, it was really messing her up, wasn't it?

When she arrived in her room, Astrid got to work quickly, since she didn't really feel like retrieving pieces of glass the rest of the night.

Opposite of last night, she felt an somehow quite uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Why was she like this? Since when did Astrid Hofferson get the spooks from a mere accident?

A halfway later, she cleaned the pieces that lay around the doors of the balcony. Pfew, she was almost done, she cheered inwardly, trying to make herself happy. The wind outside was raging against the doors, causing them to tremble from time to time. How lucky she was to be inside, Astrid thought with a small smirk.

Crack. Her heart fell down her stomach. The sound, clear as day, sounded like somebody had stepped upon glass, behind her. Someone had broken into her house? No, how could that be possible? She had locked the gates ever since the first night.

Or her little theory might be right, squatters, living here secretly and unnoticeable. And maybe they decided they didn't really like to share this place with anyone else.

Astrid felt a feeling of fear inside herself, residing in her stomach, but who wouldn't? Nervousness took over her motions, and she stared at her hands, contemplating what she should do, all the while aware the invader stood behind her, ready to strike. It felt like minutes, but in reality it were seconds.

Astrid had to do something, or else. With the piece of glass still in her hand, she gathered all her courage, and moved her head to the side piece by piece, hiding her weapon of defense behind her body as unnoticeable as she could.

When she was ready to look the intruder into their eyes, and face the consequences, nothing could prepare her for the sight she saw before herself.

Because there was no-one.


	3. Chapter 2 - Lights Out

Sorry if this chapter comes across as boring! This will be more of a filler before the real stuff is gonna happen, so look forward to the next chapter. ;)

It wasn't real, you were imagining these things, Astrid reassured herself. There are logical explanations for these happenings, such as the cause of the fallen painting was the harsh wind from balcony doors which opened because of the same reason. There's no need to be all anxious about this, just get over it!

So she did. No more scary, imaginary things. The next 2 days were filled with some slight unpacking and some small visits to town, running errands. The people were friendly, though some of them were a little hesitant to approach her, for some reason. If she was being honest, she kind of already knew what their reason was.

The Hofferson Castle was rumoured to house ghosts, spirits of people long forgotten. The castle however, was not. It used to be a small business, something like a hostel. But it had to be closed due to the conditions of the rooms, but the people didn't want to know there was also another reason, the complaints of sounds

The next day was filled with unpacking some more, she was almost done with it, to her happiness.

Throughout the day, Astrid also explored around the castle, wanting to remember every part to prevent getting lost, since it was quite that big, honestly.

Sure, there would be sections where she wouldn't really go to that much, but it was still handy to know where it was and all.

When it had just become dark, Astrid was done with all the unpacking. Finally she had the evening to herself, she cheered mentally. The thought of a nice warm bad was introduced to her, it had been so long since she had a real bath. Back at home they only had a shower, so the idea tempted her greatly.

A little while later, the bath was nearly full. Astrid dipped her hand in to test the temperature of the water, just good. She stood up from her crouching position.

Her hands fiddled with the knot upon her robe, untying it. The weight fell off her lithe body, onto the tiles. A long, faded but still clear scar ran along her spine, rugged and of a complexion that stood out on her skin.

Her feet touched the water, and Astrid felt the warmth welcoming her as it surrounded her more and more, until she was fully submerged under it. When she was underwater for only around a few seconds, she submerged again, quickly opening her eyes. Astrid got to work with washing her hair, relaxing all the while.

It has been going surprisingly well, she remembered feeling shitty as Hell before moving, wondering why she thought she could take such a responsibility like this. Because it's not like every 20 year old was living in a centuries-old castle, and taking care of all the businesses that came with it.

With a relieved look on her face, she leaned her head upon the edge of the tub, letting out a small sigh.

When she finished her bath, Astrid made way to her bedroom. However, something along the way caught her attention.

A handprint stood out on the dusty mirror, Astrid felt her heart twisting. No, not again.

With her heart going faster, she raised her hand, and placed it upon the print. No way that it could be her hand.. While hers was female, smaller and thin fingers, the one on the mirror was without doubt the hand of a man, much larger than hers, with long, but bigger fingers. Her eyes widened, the spot was recently made.

That night, she called the police. Unfortunately, they didn't really take her seriously. Much to her dismay, they told her they would take a look, the next day.

With an uneasy feeling she laid down under the covers, closing her eyes. It took her half an hour to finally get to sleep. But before unconsciousness took over her senses, Astrid felt an unusual gust of wind along her back, she shivered.

The police held themselves to their word, but couldn't find anything. But if something new happened, she should let them know. The words hit her in her face, she wasn't making this up was she?

How could she explain the accident, the gushes of wind and her shivering, the handprints, while it was supposedly only her in the castle? Astrid had no clue.

Three days passed, and each time when she went asleep, she felt the presence of a cold gust of wind along her back just when she falls asleep. Strangely enough, it brought her some kind of comfort, though honestly, she supposed it was creepy as fuck. Strange things were certainly happening..

So, how's the princess life treating you? ' She heard Jesse's voice through the voice, Astrid rolled her eyes at the questions with a small smile.

" It's perfect, the servants are currently scrubbing my floors and cleaning my diamond cutlery until they shine, and how are you doing, peasant? " Astrid said back with a very serious tone, though the grin on her face said otherwise.

Jesse snorted and laughed at her remark, ' It's so nice to hear from you again, though I really do miss you here. Life here is pathetic nowadays, you wouldn't believe me! Please tell me I can visit soon, or I might go crazy ' She blabbered.

Astrid smiled, she missed Jesse too, she and her have been friends since they were 7, so leaving her was painful.

" I miss you too Jess, and our frequent going out sessions. If you come here, please bring our favourite drinks, they don't sell it here, it's horrible! " Astrid complained with a slight snicker.

' All right I promise! ' Then she heard the vague sound of a door on the other side of the line, ' I'm sorry Astrid, I gotta go.. ' Jesse said with a sad tone, ' Speak to you soon? '

" Yeah, soon " She replied. ' Good, speak to you later! ' The line went dead, Astrid hang up too, putting the phone down the table near her.

Rain smashed against the windows, the sounds of it and thunder disturbing the normal silence in the castle.

She turned on the water, and sat on the edge of the tub. The time has went by very fast, she has been living in the castle for almost 3 weeks now, wow. Her hand dipped into the water, she deemed the water to be a good temperature and turned off the crane. Astrid stood up and uncovered herself from the towel she had wrapped herself in and went into the tub.

Astrid washed her hair just like usual and laid down, closing her eyes. Appreciating the warmth surrounding her and sighing in content.

5 minutes into relaxing, and the lights, all the electricity, went off. Leaving her in utter darkness, just as she heard the thunder roar, shaking her to her core.


	4. Chapter 3 - Stranger Danger

**So, long time no see.. I'm terribly sorry for not showing my face around here for the last couple of months (Besides reading other stories) I've been feeling quite down for a long time already, but I'm planning to get better and I'm already on my way to it fortunely! :) Enjoy chapter 3!**

 **PS! Maybe some of you might think Astrid is a little OOC in here, but I just tried to let her act like any normal person would in a situation like I just wrote in this chapter** **since there's quite some creepy and scary stuff happening..**

 **PPS** **! Any tips are very much welcome! English is my second language and I still need to learn a lot, so any help is more than welcome. (Any Beta Reader who's interested in helping me with this story, hit me up!!)**

Astrid opened her eyes, fuck. Just the right moment, she thought sarcastically.

She stepped out of the tub, reaching for her towel, and realized she didn't bring any clothing. Astrid facepalmed mentally, and wrapped the towel around herself and grabbed the keys she luckily brought with her.

With a creak she opened the door, inspecting her surroundings with observant eyes, for what? She didn't know.

She had to get to the electrical cabinet to restore the power again, and cringed. The cabinet was all the way down.

Phone in her hand, she quickly put on the flashlight and with light steps, made way to the basement floor. Astrid clinged onto her towel and made sure where she walked.

When she arrived at the hall, she gave a quick look around. The castle in complete darkness definitely gave her the creeps she decided as she gazed at the statues around her, and the hallway before her that seemed endless.

To enter the underground vaults you had to follow said hallway, and enter a room where a staircase would lead you downstairs.

When exploring this was one of the rare places she hadn't been, since it gave a really shitty vibe for some reason. As if she wasn't supposed to go there.

Astrid walked and now stood before the big wooden doors that seperated the known of the unknown.

She took the second largest key, knowing this one was supposed to be the one for the cellars. She put her hands against the big doors and casually leaned against it as she fumbled with the keys and phone in her hand.

The door moved and with it, so did she. What the.. The door opened? How could that be? It was locked, how could it be open?

Taking her chances, she hesitantly stepped into the room, which consisted of furniture which dated from a time probably older than her grandparents. White sheets were dropped over most of it, and she could see spiderwebs dotting most part of the dark walls. All in all, this place looked abondoned, as if nobody has stepped into here for a long time.

Astrid moved further in the room, and she could never miss the door on the other side. She stepped over and slowly opened it, and peered inside. This was another level of surprise, when she saw a massive room, with a spiral stairway that lead you down, but as she shone down, Astrid saw nothing but complete darkness. The only sounds she heard was the dripping of water from the damp walls.

In all honesty, she really didn't want to go down there. And as she looked down into the unknown, she wondered why anyone would ever place the electronic cabinet there.

And right now, she really wished she had brought more than just her towel, cause this place definitely gave her the chills. And at this right moment, she remembered how the sales-person had quickly gone over the room.

" And in that room over there " Said the woman, with a pointed finger towards the big wooden doors.

" Is where you have to go to the electronic cabinet, just enter the room and go downstairs, but luckily it's rare for you to go down there. " Astrid raised an eyebrow at the women and gave another look to the doors.

Why didn't the woman show a room as important as this to her? Probably because it was cold and kind of creepy, she now realized as she took another step down the stairs.

Swallowing the nervousness she felt while watching into this nothingness, Astrid stepped down the first few steps.

She instantly felt her feet get wet, as it only got more damp the deeper she got. And also colder, the towel that she desperately tried to keep around her body, didn't help the waves of cold roaming around her.

It also didn't really help that it felt creepy as heck down here, and she could see close to nothing. After a few minutes of walking down the spiraling stairs, she finally reached the bottom, and she wondered how long it had taken her, surely a few minutes.. It felt very long, at least.

Her feet stepped onto the stone floor, right into a puddle of what she assumed, was water. She made a sound of disgust and quickly stepped away.

Finally, Astrid looked throughout the space, which was quite big and hollow, big and hollow places were a common thing in this castle, it seemed.

Luckily, she found what looked like the electronic cabinet. Sighing in relief, she came closer to inspect the object.

She narrowed her eyes to look at the handle, which was turned.. down? A sudden wave of uneasiness and paranoias settled deep into her stomach at the sight.

What the hell? This place only seemed to get weirder and weirder, and she couldn't help but feel completely freaked out. She was the only one in this castle, so how could it be pulled down?

No, this was the last drop, handprints, things crashing down the ground with no explainable reasons, these memories all came back to her with the sight of this handle.

This place.. It was, haunted? And it was definitely messing with her. She had to get upstairs again, as fast as she could!

Quickly, she reached for the handle and turned it up again with all her might, of course, the electricity didn't work in this room, so she was still in complete darkness, apart from her flashlight.

Astrid moved to the stairs and stepped onto them, already a few steps up before she heard the most dreaded sound one could possibly hear in an situation like this; A voice, with no source, and not yours; The only person in this whole castle. Astrid's stomach turned around and she froze, her eyes widened, and time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Then her flight reflex kicked in, ande didn't know how fast she could run away from the source of it. Between the flight or fight, she had no other choice to flight, who the hell would choose to fight what in the freaking hell that would be? Certainly not her, she was smarter to not take that risk, and scared, for sure.

A breathy voice was heard again, moaning and creeping up the stairs, luckily, a distance behind her.

" No no no no no " She mumbled in a broken voice as tears of fear prickled in the corner of her eyes.

Putting her foot on another step, it weakened and she lost her balance. She landed on the steps, her head onto the edge and she cried out in pain, blood already seeping out the fresh wound.

Her phone fell out of her hand, Astrid's eyes widened as it neared the edge- " NO! " She cried out as her phone fell over, downstairs and disappeared from her sight.

Again, she was reminded why she had ran and another sound shook her to her bones. Astrid gathered all her strength and sped off again, her towel almost falling off, but that wasn't the most important thing on her mind at the moment. Tears fell from her eyes as she stumbled, not seeing where she was going.

Then, she saw a faint light, she was almost there! Astrid's feet took her even faster as she gasped for fresh air, as the atmosphere in the staircase was damp and almost stifling.

Astrid finished the last step and tumbled onto the ground, her foot being in a more worse condition she originally thought. She groaned and grabbed it, as she desperately tried to shuffle away from the stairs. Her eyes searched for the door, it was open, completely open!

Astrid took her chances and stood up, limping to the door and throwing it closed behind her, locking in the thing that was chasing her.

Astrid walked away, as far as you could call it walking, from the door, not wanting to be anywhere near it. Now that she was kind of safe, she could finally process what happened. But she couldn't, that couldn't have been real.

She clasped her hands over her head and trembled as she just walked into a random direction, her path took her to the hall, where she could still hear the rain and the thunder.

Astrid looked at the windows, rain seeping down the windows, as new tears seeped down her cheeks, and thunder clashing, as her heart beated loudly in her chest. The thunder and rain mirrored her and her emotions.

She tremblingly sagged down onto the floor with ragged breaths and closed her eyes, consciousness releasing her and sight fading.. Before feeling a warmth around her and the floor disappearing beneath her.


	5. Chapter 4 - Who Is It?

**Hellooo! Chapter 4 guys! I think you all will like this chapter since we came to the point where Astrid is gonna meet a certain someone..** **Who would that be huh? Tell me what you think and tips are as always very much welcome. Enjoy!**

A stinging feeling right upon her forehead awakened her from her deep slumber.

Astrid jerked awake, finding herself in her own bedroom. She heard clattering on the ground and then the sound of shifting, straight out of the room.

Astrid turned her head in confusion, and stared at the door for a couple of moments, drunk of sleep, before the events of yesterday filled her mind.

How could she be in this room?

She only remembered laying down in the hall, and falling asleep, right there.. Before also feeling a warmth, and the floor leaving underneath you, another voice joined in her head.

Though it feared her, incredibly much, she had to know what was wrong in this house. Her hands felt clammy at the thought, but she could not live in this house any longer if it was filled with secrets.

Astrid yanked the covers off her, and much to her amazement, she saw her foot covered in bandages. Astrid furrowed her brows in disbelief. If her feet was looked after for then –

Astrid shakily lifted her hand to the wound on her head, only to find it was sanitized. Then, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

A cotton ball with a pincet, and a small bottle of alcohol on her nightstand. It was on the ground, it seemed to have fallen when.. Whoever or whatever left the room a few minutes ago.

Was she even ready to uncover the secrets of this house, she wondered, staring at the fallen objects in the ground.

Astrid shook her head, no, it was time to find out. She raised the covers and stood up, while grabbing another sharp looking object that had fallen on the ground too, just in case.

Thankfully, noone had changed her clothes, since she was still in her towel.

At least these ghosts still had some decency, she thought sarcastically.

Ghosts? A small voice in the back of her head said, but it was more some kind of question for confirmation. That could be a possibility indeed..

Astrid walked out of her room, and looked around the deserted hallways.

She tried to remember which way that thing would have gone too, but she was just awake back then when it had sped out the room, she wouldn't know.

Testing the waters, she just called.

" Hey, I have been living here for a month now, and would like to know who thought it would be funny to just scare the shit out of me these last few weeks.. " She yelled, and she realized how stupid she must've looked. In a centuries old deserted castle, calling out to noone.

Astrid waited for a few seconds, awaiting in anticipation. Nothing.

Astrid walked into the hallways, narrowing her eyes. " Don't you think play time is over already? That.. Stuff from yesterday wasn't exactly what I would call funny, honestly.. " She spoke, " Nearly broke my goddamn foot " She mumbled behind it, the latter still very much sore when she leaned onto it.

A movement, from her right.

Astrid sharply turned her head and instantly ran, following it, all the while while her bandaged foot was protesting against it. " Don't you dare run away from me " She grumbled to herself.

She felt her foot ache, but still, she carried on, running and running through the hallways, off the stairs, just behind the corner, she was almost there, her answers were in her reach!

Her path took her to the hall, where the lights around her were flickering for an unknown reason until they turned off. But that wasn't the thing that stopped her dead in her tracks when she finally reached it.

Luminous green eyes bore into hers.

A friction went through her whole body, from the top of her head to her toes. Covering her with chills.

The green eyes widened, showing her they felt it too.

Time seemed to stop just for a few seconds.

A million of questions began to rise in her head, unanswered and desperate.

The world around her still moved, but it was still and quiet, around them.

Then, her heart began to beat faster and her palms became more sweaty as she slowly came out of her trance.

Breathing became difficult as her legs were giving in, Astrid fell backwards onto the wooden floor, all the while she was still keeping eye-contact with that.. Him.

With wide eyes, she opened her mouth to adress the.. Person before her.

She looked him over, he was definitely handsome, but not in the traditional way; A gangly body, messy auburn hair that reached the nape of his neck, the large nose that seemed to still fit in with his slightly freckled face and thin lips, but these were not the features which got her attention at first.

Her eyes shifted to his again, illuminated forest green eyes with thick eyebrows, which were raised in an expression she could not fathom.

He stood still, unmoving like a statue, except for his eyes which were now moving over her face, doing the same as she did to him. It stirred something in her stomach.

" Wh- What are you doing in my house? " Astrid raised her voice in an attempt of seeming calm and composed, her face twisted into a grimace as she felt herself fail, heart beating against her chest.

The man's eyes immediately catched hers again and narrowed, as if he was confused. Ultimately, he moved for the first time in all the time she has seen him stand there.

Astrid noted how his body left a trail of some sort of fog as he moved, which disappeared after a few seconds.

She visibly swallowed as he came closer, she dared not to move.

He stopped a few feet before her, thankfully, but didn't speak.. He only seemed to stare at her in some sort of.. wonder?

Astrid's brows creased, unable to detect anything about the creature standing before her. " Who are you? " She tried again.

Another few seconds passed before she could hear a nasal male voice speak up. " I'm sorry, for not introducing myself earlier.. " Astrid looked up shocked, he could speak! " But you can call me Hiccup. " before managing a little, unsure smile.

Now Astrid found herself at loss with words, her eyes shifted to his form, to his face, his eyes, as she still could not believe this was real.

' Hiccup ' awkwardly shifted from one leg to the other, which was missing.. She only noticed until now, a prosthetic in place instead of his leg, he looked at her questionably.

Her eyes went up to his again, " Astrid.. It's Astrid " She quickly replied to his introduction in return.

Was this real? Her eyes wandered over his form. He was the one haunting her these past weeks? It seemed unreal, but there was no other explanation..

" You.. Probably want to hear me out, but I'll tell you, it's gonna be long. " He spoke softly. Astrid's attention got back to his freckled face before feeling a chill on her back as she looked down. Was this towel always so small? Her cheeks flushed the brightest shade of red. She coughed uneasily, " We'll talk, when I'm dressed. " She mumbled, only now realizing she was talking to a ghost.. In nothing but a small towel.

Hiccup's eyes seemed confused at first but then lowered only to quickly look away, looking as baffled and ashamed as she probably felt inside at the moment, perhaps even more. She was sure he'd get even redder than her if he still could.

He cleared his throat and suddenly found the floor to be very interesting while saying; " Yeah.. Umm, meet you back in the living room. " Before he walked back and.. Faded away into nothing?

What. The. Heck.

Did that just happen? Yes it did.

Astrid held her face in her head and nodded unbelievably, what has she gotten herself into?

A little while later, a dressed Astrid made her way to the living room where Hiccup waited for her.

He looked up from his position on the ancient-looking couch, while Astrid sat down, setting a good decent distance between them.

Astrid turned her head towards his ghostly presence and nodded, " Begin. "

Hiccup opened his mouth and began to talk, she noted how much his facial expressions changed and how much he talked with his hands and shoulders as he told her the biggest things, and things she would doubt to believe if he hadn't told her then.

" Wait, rephrase " She raised her hand to stop him from talking, he did and looked back at her. " You're a Viking, and there are more of you..? "

Hiccup nodded, like it was the most normal thing one could confirm. " Yep, that's right. Until now you've only met me, though. "

Astrid's eyes narrowed and she shook her head. " No, that's not true. Yesterday in the cellars, there was.. Something else. "

Goosebumps errupted over her back at the thought of yesterday, she still had a slight feeling she hadn't processed all of it yet.

Hiccup's expression changed yet again, but this time in one she hadn't seen yet, nor one she could read. It stayed like that for a few moments. " Yes, but we don't count them as one of us, as our kin. You were lucky I smashed the door shut after you left that room, otherwise.. Hell would've broke lose. "

Astrid fumbled in her position on the couch, so that door was him? Hmm, made sense. " You have to promise you won't go in there ever again. " He said, eyes on her, with an intensity she had never seen before in anyone.

Astrid shook her head, trying to shake away the nauseous feeling in her stomach. " So.. These fingerprints huh? " She began, and Hiccup answered every question she had, as weird as they would consider to be.

At the end of the day, Hiccup had hung out with her the remainder of the time, he asked her things, about the modern world as an example, in which she asked him about how he lived before in return.

Not that that wasn't weird, at all, talking to a centuries long-dead Viking about what hobbies he had back in the old days.

Astrid's eyelids began drooping when Hiccup was gesturing wildly while telling a story about his failed attempt at hunting back at his home, Berk, which was kind of funny, she had to admit.

He noted and he smiled, " What, are my stories not interesting enough anymore? " He said in a pretend-hurt tone while he dramatically placed his hand on his chest. Astrid gave him a small laugh, " No no, absolutely not! I'm just kind of tired.. Especially after a day like.. Well, this. " She explained, standing up.

Hiccup nodded his head with a small laugh, and stood up also, " I know, it was only a joke. There'll enough time to tell you my stupid stories. " He said with a wink " Come, I'll walk you to your room. " He gestured for her to come with him, and so they went.

They walked quietly, well, he sort of glide-walked if that's the right way of saying it. Astrid tried to look at his form as nonchalant as she could, still finding it to be a very interesting thing to look at, but not wanting to be rude.

After all, it's not like you meet a ghost everyday, especially not one like Hiccup.

At last, they stood before her room. " I would have never expected to say this to a ghost, but I'm happy you're not as scary as I thought you were. " She joked to him, while he gave a shy smile back.

" Well, it had to happen sometime. And I was pleasantly surprised you took it like you did, if it had ended totally different, you could've been on your way to a hospital right now. "

Astrid gave a short smile before saying; " Good night. " " Good night Astrid. "

She reached the doorknob and turned around to give him one last smile, but in his place stood nothing besides the empty hallways.


	6. Chapter 5 - A Spectral Meeting

**Hi! There I am again, hopefully making you guys happy with another update! Thank you to all the people that left comments and liked my story (On AO3 too!) That means a lot.** **Things are escalating this chapter, and Hiccup and Astrid have a bit of quality time together at the end ;) I just know things like that will make your shipper heart pleased!** **As always, thank you for reading, leave a nice review or give me some tips! See you soon!**

The sound of an alarm clock beeping woke her from her vast sleep.

Brawling in her ear, she reached for her phone and turned it off. She opened her eyes and looked at the numbers on the screen.

8 AM. That was okay, she guessed.

Astrid normally had the tendency to wake up very early, and go for a jog or something in that manner. But ever since she lived in the castle, she didn't come up to it.

It probably had to do with all the stress from her ghostly housemates, she thought with a bit humour.

Astrid's mind went back to yesterday, and she was still baffled at the thought of meeting Hiccup, a ghost, let alone spending a whole with him.

Speaking of Hiccup, where would he be?

Okay wait, first I'll get ready and make some breakfast, then we'll look, she decided and with that, she stood up from her bed, grabbed her stuff and went to the bathroom.

The fresh brown bread jumped out of the toaster, while she reached for a plate from the cupboards, which was placed far too high for a reason.. Astrid surely wasn't small, but that placement was just ridiculous.

Out of nowhere, a hand appeared next to her, easily picking up the plate from its spot.

A quick wave of panic rushed over her before looking besides her and seeing Hiccup's face, his lips turned into his customary lopsided smile.

He glided past her and retrieved the toast, putting it on the plate.

" Butter? " He asked over his shoulder, while he opened the drawers to pick up a blunt knife.

" Yes, and while you're at it, can you please get me a glass of milk too? " Astrid grinned as she leaned onto the counter, crossing her arms. Finding she enjoyed banter like this.

Hiccup gave her a playful look, all the while while he was spreading the butter onto her toast.

" That can be arranged, Ms. Hofferson " He joked, before his eyes widened, silencing himself.

Astrids head turned towards him, raising her eyebrows. Sure, she had told him her name, but not her surname..

Hiccup turned his attention back to her after cursing at himself, " I just overheard you and the saleswoman talking, that's where.. I got your last name " He sheepily added the last part.

Astrid shook her head, why did she even make a fuss about this?

The events of the past few weeks just made her this jumpy, she guessed. There was nothing wrong, especially now that she looked at Hiccup's awkward and guilty form.

Astrid lifted her chin and raised one eyebrow, mocking him with a teasing look in her eyes. " Now, where is my breakfast? I am not paying you for doing nothing. "

Hiccup's face relaxed again as he jokingly saluted her, " It's almost ready, miss! " Before quickly finishing the final things until it was ready to be served.

While she ate her breakfast, Hiccup sat besides her at the long, old looking banquet table.

It was an comfortable silence, once in a while they made some small talk, but the remainder of the time was spent in stillness.

When Astrid stood up and gathered her dishes, Hiccup's voice spoke up.

" Hey, uhm.. I've been thinking " He rubbed the back of his neck, something she noticed he did a lot, " Maybe I can take you to meet the others? "

Meeting his kin, a room full of dead Vikings, she processed.

It was a bit thrilling to her, but they also lived in this castle, and she would have to meet them someday..

Why not now?

Astrid hesitantly nodded, " I'd love to. " Offering a smile afterwards.

She saw his eyes turning happier, the corners of his mouth turning up, forming into a relieved smile.

He stammered a bit before saying; " Okay, yeah great! Then, shall we? " He stood up from the wooden chair, waiting for her, eyes smiling.

Swallowing the slight nervousness she felt, she stood up and followed suit.

" I know you probably have bad memories about going back here, but nothing will happen as long as I'm with you. " Hiccup said as he stood at the beginning of the nightmarish spiral staircase leading into darkness.

She really was going to go back down there again, what?

Hiccup looked at her with eyes that she could only describe as pleading. Her mind was telling her to turn back around and leave this instant.

But her parents raised her to be fearless, so she would be.

Astrid walked down, not missing how Hiccup's face changed into a relieved expression while he lead her back down in that hellish pit.

It was the same as how it was a few days ago, the same sounds of water, the same stifling air.. Not the kind of things she wanted to see, hear, or smell again.

After a few minutes, they were all the way down. Astrid looked around uneasily, still fearing something might show up all off a sudden.

" It's gonna be alright, " Hiccup voice interrupted the silence, she turned to catch his eyes.

" I already told you, nothing is going to happen while I'm here with you. "

Astrid gave him a small nod, honestly feeling kind of embarrassed. It felt like a cliché horror movie, starring her as the naïve girl who was afraid of literally everything.

Hiccup walked all the way to the left, to a.. Door. How hadn't she noticed there was a door?

 _Probably because right after you were here, you got chased back up by a pissed off ghost._

Hiccup turned the lid, which seemed very heavy, with a bit of difficulty she noted.

He gestured for her to follow him, before feeling a strange gust of wind when she entered, and she heard him quickly close the door after them as they entered another staircase.

But this was different, a lot different.

She overlooked some sort of large hall, two stairs lay before her, one went all the way down to the hall, the latter stairs lead right down before spiralling a bit again until it went out of sight, and every once in a while she saw doors on the right side of them.

But if the had to use one word to describe it, it was; huge.

" Never guessed this was just under your nose huh? " Hiccup remarked sarcastically, scratching his neck as he looked around, far less amazed then her.

Probably because he spends most of his time out here, she figured out.

The loud booming voice of a laugh interrupted the silence in the large hall, it came from all the way down, where she faintly saw a light burning.

Astrid looked at Hiccup, a question clear on her face.

He laughed awkwardly, " That's charming, and the source of that would be Gobber, come, I'll take you down. "

Astrid nodded with sweaty palms, following him yet again, looking around herself to take in her surroundings.

This was far more.. Inhabited. Sure, it still looked like what you'd imagine as "cellars" with stone walls and the cold temperature all around you, but she could see decoration on the walls, and a little bit of furniture now and then.

And it was inhabited, for sure. Because how else could she explain the voices she currently heard which were getting louder and louder?

It wasn't the same since they were basically dead, but you get the point.

Eventually they arrived and stood before a set of large wooden doors, she could hear a dozen of conversations and light coming through under the door.

" Lets introduce you then. " He said before pushing open the wooden door that stood before them.

Hiccup catched her eyes, and gave her a reassuring smile, before the both of them entered the room, which had slowly but surely fallen quiet.

The room resembled something like a great hall, candles were lit all across the room, wooden tables and banks everywhere, and just like in the hall before, it was decorated in what she supposed was Viking-ish culture.

Then, her eyes fell on the sight of a dozen of Vikings sitting at said tables and banks, completely silent and staring at Hiccup and her with their radiating eyes.

" I- eh.. Want to introduce you to our new landlady.. " Hiccup spoke, gesturing behind him towards her.

He turned his luminious green eyes toward her, and his hand vaguely gestured towards in her direction.

" Astrid. " The way her name rolled off his tongue formed a pleasant feeling deep inside her, quickly she tore her gaze away from his and addressed the swarm before her with her eyes.

A bit awkwardly, she took a step forward and looked around all the new faces.

" Never expected there would be a dozen of Vikings underneath my house, but I'm glad to finally meet you all. " She spoke, giving a smile, hoping her nerves wouldn't reflect on her face, while the rest of the room was still as silent as ever.

How was she supposed to act when there were more than 20 ghosts staring at you, completely silent?

She felt Hiccup's form floating behind her, and it reassured her to know at least _he_ was there to support her.

Finally, a broad bold man with one of the longest blonde moustaches she has ever seen, stood up.

" Pleased to meet ye too, lassie! He wouldn't shut up about ye, so we were already wonderin' when he came tae introduce ya! " He said with a wink.

The room came alive and roared with laughs and cheers, while she was sure Hiccup - And her - Would've rather just sink into the ground.

The man stepped forward and he introduced himself as 'Gobber', so that was the man Hiccup referred to a few minutes ago.

He lead her to sit besides him at one table, where she saw they were playing games previously, and Viking after Viking introduced themself to her.

The room had changed from tense silence, to a room full of life.

Buldering voices laughing and conversing and sounds of chairs scraping against the floor, and the occasional complaining when someone lost in the games they were playing.

She heard the wildest stories, and in return, she told them about hers, though she wouldn't reveal too much of it, nor the things she didn't want to tell them.

She really felt like she got on along fine with them, after all.

It was thrilling and scary to meet a group full of Vikings, but it wasn't as scary as she imagined it to be previously.

Of course Hiccup made it a lot easier, he was there to introduce her to them and gave her the mental support if needed.

" Am telling ye! He shot right off intae the woods that one, had to look for 'im for 2 hours! " Everyone burst out laughing, even Astrid herself couldn't contain to let out a laugh herself.

Now that Hiccup wasn't here he wasn't there to stop them from telling embarrassing stories about himself.

Now that she was thinking about it, she looked around, searching for the auburn mop of hair and his tall form.

She lightly stood up from her chair to look over the shoulders of the massive Vikings around her, and just catched sight of Hiccup talking to a mountain of a man with a braided red beard when a shot of pain surged through her leg right to her bandaged foot.

The pain was unexpected so she let out a pained whimper when it did, quickly holding her damaged foot.

Unfortunately, it caught the attention of the people around her on the table.

Gobber caught sight of her bandaged foot through the pink slippers she wore. " Wha' happened with yer foot, lassie? Lost yer footing? " He asked with light concern.

Astrid looked up at the mustached man, rubbing her foot with her hands, trying to ease the pain a bit.

" Kind off.. I had a little accident a few days ago.. " She wasn't blatantly lying, she just wasn't sure if she should mention all of what happened that night, especially when she heard what Hiccup said about them.

" Where ye got tha' wound too? " He nodded at the patched up wound on her forehead, shit, she forgot that one for a second..

As nonchalantly as possible, she covered her hand over it. " Yeah. " She mumbled, looking back to see all jollyness wiped off the Vikings faces on her table.

She saw Gobber exchange some looks with the other Vikings at the table. Astrid realised their jolly conversation was over just by the looks on their faces.. Did they know..?

The atmosphere has changed drastically in just a few words exchanged.. Where was Hiccup?

" Astrid " His nasal voice interrupted the thick, uncomfortable silence at the table.

She looked at him with relief and confusion written all over her face. " Come, I'll escort you back upstairs. "

Astrid quickly nodded and saw Gobber had disappeared beside her to talk to the same man Hiccup had talked to.

She had stood up and followed Hiccup, who left a floating hand on her upper back to lead her out of the room.

Astrid glanced over her shoulder one last time, catching the gazes of some, while others were simply staring down and others quickly joined Gobber and the other man.

They went back upstairs in silence, and Astrid couldn't help but wonder if she did or say anything wrong to cause this sudden departure.

When they were upstairs again, she realized it was already dusk. " I should get started on dinner " She mumbled, not sure why she even said that out loud, already turning away. " No, I'll cook for you. "

She caught his eyes, and couldn't help but smile a bit, thanking him in silence. And so they went on, walking to the kitchen.

The next few days were filled with the same routine.

Getting up, breakfast, working and researching on her computer, sometimes going out to town to get groceries, making dinner, eating said dinner, bathe and going to bed.

For some reason, Hiccup barely showed up anymore and hung out with her, and when he did, it was only minimal.

She really thought they were kind of progressing into a friendship, but she was mistaken, apparently.

After his company, she found out she really missed someone to talk to, even if she hadn't known him for long.

Astrid closed her bedroom door and made her way to bed, while undoing her braid. One by one, her blonde tresses flowed freely against her back.

She finally laid down and pulled the covers over her form, checking her phone before putting it beside her on the nightstand.

Then she closed her eyes and turned to her side, after a while of tossing and turning, she finally fell asleep.

Knocks. She heard knocks.

Dozing and still half asleep, Astrid opened her narrowed eyes and turned around to the door.

Her vision still had to recover to the light shining through the window into her room, just when she could see fully she heard Hiccup's voice on the other side of the door.

" Astrid, can I come inside? "

Astrid shook awake a little bit more by his voice, he was here, Hiccup was here.

" Yeah yeah, come inside! " She answered back rushed, her voice a bit rougher than usual because of the fact she just woke up.

She leaned down and picked up a vest that laid on the ground on the other side of her bed, and quickly threw it on, covering the damaged skin on her shoulders and back.

When she turned back, she found Hiccup standing by the closed door, in her room.

He looked at her a bit unsure, then to her bed, contemplating if he was allowed to step any further.

Astrid patted the space on her bed beside her. Hiccup floated to the bed, leaving a trail of mist behind him.

He slowly sat down, and scratched his neck, opening and closing his mouth, before actually beginning to talk;

" I feel like you deserve to know why I've been gone the last few days.. " He began, turning his face up at last so they could clearly look at eachother.

Astrid nodded, both a sigh of agreement and that he could begin explaining.

" That accident, it was never supposed to happen, " Astrid raised her eyebrows, but before she could open her mouth he began talking further.

" That.. Thing, along with a few others, we banished them years ago. But a little time before you came, they were just.. Here again, we don't know how and why it is even possible. "

" We searched and searched for any reason, how it was possible, and how we could banish them for good. That's why I was gone. " He looked away, ashamed and disappointed in some way.

Astrid was taken aback by his explanation, she looked away in thought. " But, what are they.. _Who_ are they? "

Hiccup looked back at her, the same intense look in his eyes, if not, even more intense than before.

" Most of them used to belong with me and my kin, but not anymore. They betrayed us, so they were cursed differently than us. "

Astrid felt chills creeping up her body, and found relief knowing they and Hiccup with the others were different kinds of ghosts.

" They feed on fear and live to fear, they can't scare us anymore though since we're kind of the same, but mortals, " He quickly gestured to her, " Are a different story. "

Okay, this did not help to let her feel safe at all, judging by the look on her face, he noticed her worry.

He reached out and came closer, before his eyes widened and stopping himself just when he was about to touch her shoulder.

" It's okay Astrid, we've only seen one so far. They won't even attack you all of a sudden.. And it's highly impossible there are more coming, but we just gotta.. Be careful, and prepared.. Just in case. "

Astrid breathed in and out, closing her eyes for a second. When she opened them, Hiccup's face was creased in worry, looking at her.

" Okay.. " Astrid ran a hand through her hair, looking down, before vaguely seeing Hiccup's eyes following her hand that brushed her hair unconsciously.

Silence.

" Thanks, Hiccup. "

They watched eachother, and he gave an uncertain smile. " You deserved it, even if it's not good news, I felt like you needed to know. "

Astrid shifted uncomfortably, thinking back about the accident.

" I'll make sure nothing happens. I promise, Astrid. "

His eyes were on her, focused and direct. With that he stood up, and shifted to the door.

" I'll see you tomorrow..? " Astrid asked real quick, hopefullness in her eyes. She hoped he didn't note the slight desperation in her voice. He glimpsed at her with a soft look, " Yes.. " He spoke, " Good night, Astrid. "

Her lips turned upwards, and she settled back in the bed.

" Good night, Hiccup. "

He watched her, discrete. Heart hammering at her chest as his piercing eyes roamed around her one last time before leaving and gently closing her door.


	7. Chapter 6 - The New Help

**Hey, long time no see, yes, very long time.. * ducks from things getting thrown my way * I'm sorry I have been gone these few months, with some things happening I just couldn't set my mind to writing, but now I'm here to surprise y'all with a brand new one, and I'm already busy with planning the next few ones. Thank you so much for the ones who are still reading this, I'm doing it all for you!!**

He held himself to that promise, and she was happy to see his face appear next to hear while she was eating breakfast.

Normally, she would've choked on her food because who wouldn't when a face appeared next to you all of a sudden?

But Astrid was shocked to notice how fastly she got used to things like this.

" How did you sleep? " He asked her while floating above the table, was he showing off?

Astrid smirked and turned back to her food, " I slept good, to be honest, better than I expected I would. "

She heard him mumble something in the terms of: " Glad. " While he flied up to the ceiling, which was quite high and adorned with the most intricate patterns.

Astrid now looked up to focus on Hiccup who was currently walking on the ceiling like it was the most normal thing to do.

Astrid couldn't help the large smile that settled on her lips. " Show off. " She muttered.

Astrid drank up the remainder of her glass of juice, and left to the kitchen to clean everything up.

" Hiccup? " She called out, in a matter of one second he stood behind one of the kitchen counters.

" I've been thinking.. I want to clean the rooms. All the rooms, it might come in handy y'know.. For any future plans. " She proposed while cleaning the dishes, setting them on the counter when she was done.

Hiccup floated over the kitchen to her, standing beside her and leaning into the counter, helping her dry and put the dashes into the right cupboard.

" I agree, we've been awful in maintaining this castle, to be honest, " He floated up to put the plate back to its place.

" Only fair that I'll help, right? " He finished with an honest smile, which she answered back with a smile of her own.

An idea popped up in her head, and her hands stopped.

Hiccup noted the way she stopped her movements and moved his green orbs to her.

" I was just thinking.. " She began, and turned around to fully face him. " Maybe your kin would like to get out the cellars and help around..? "

Silence.

Astrid's blue eyes cautiously wandered over to the ghost next to her.

" I think they'd like that. "

She inwardly smiled, the idea seemed so weird but really handy at the same time.

" Thank you for keeping us in mind, Astrid. "

Astrid looked up at his face, there she found a genuine, thankful look in his eyes, his lips turned into a small smile.

She answered him with a smile back in response before giving him another plate he had to place back onto the tall cupboard.

So there they came, Viking after Viking.

She saw each one pass into the castle, they looked around themselves in an alien way, as if they haven't been here before.

" It's like they don't know where they are.. " She mumbled while she looked at their faces in deep thoughts.

Hiccup shifted besides her, " It's kind of a long time, they'll get used to it in no time, I know I did. "

Astrid looked at Hiccup questionably, " Yeah, what's up with that? How come you're basically the only one entering the castle instead of just staying in the basement? "

Again, Hiccup shifted, but this time, it was like he was nervous.

" I guess the others didn't want to remind themselves on the fact we're actually dead. In the basements it's safe and we won't have to worry about people catching us, not that there were actually people out here that could catch us. It has been practically empty all the while we waited for another household or lady. " He sounded kind of sad while explaining it.

Astrid bit her lip, " But you can still go outside right? " She tried.

Hiccup catched her gaze, his lips turned upwards in a glum smile.

" Yes, but there's no way we can be allowed to be seen. Our appearance outside changes drastically, and it will expose us and our only safe place, cause of course everyone knows that this castle is 'haunted' " He emphasized the word haunted, " But I don't want to know what'll happen when people realize that it's actually haunted. "

Her face turned away, she felt herself feel dejected and sad at what Hiccup told her. Astrid gazed at the ghostly figures passing them, they were bound to this house, and they have been ever since they first got here.

It must feel horrible, she wouldn't want to imagine the mental suffering they had to go through.

Astrid turned her eyes back to Hiccup again, " I'm sorry Hiccup.. " He gave a sad smile again, " I wish I could do something to help. "

His eyes widened at her last statement for some reason, before he quickly tried to hide it by clearing his throat and looking away.

" Its.. Okay Astrid, we're all used to it. This is the way we are, we've accepted that a long time ago. "

Astrid stared at his conflicted face, who seemed deep in thought, and she promised she would find a way to help Hiccup and his kin to help them in any way possible.

" And they were the last ones. Now all there is left to do.. " Hiccup picked up their cleaning supplies, " Is to clean. "

Astrid gave a small chuckle at the sight, and took the other supplies in her hands. " Come on Cinderella, let's do this. " As she walked up the stairs, Hiccup followed her with ease. " Wait, who's Cinderella? "

A little while later, everyone on the castle was busy with scrubbing the floors, the walls, the furniture, even the ceilings.. Since they could defy gravity, literally.

Astrid was currently scrobbing away the ends of the large windows.

Dust and dirt covered every little thing in this castle, so she was glad Hiccup and the others were so kind to help her. She could never do this on her own.

She was slightly wobbly on the wooden stepladder she had found downstairs, it seemed old and she had a feeling of hesitation since all it could do was creak and moan.. But this was her only solution.

Hiccup was on the ceiling, and it was coming around very nicely, a beautiful large painting began to appear through the dust.

Astrid smiled slightly, leaning into the stairs casually. " Hey Hiccup, tha- "

2 faces appeared out of nowhere, upside down. " Oh hello there! " Was the last thing she heard before she toppled back, falling off.

Right on her tailbone.

" Jesus Christ.. " She murmured as she lay on the ground. When she opened her eyes, she immediately saw a pair of green eyes staring at her full of worry.

" Astrid, are you okay? Can I - " Hiccup stopped himself before giving a sour look behind himself, probably at the cause of her fall. " I told you guys, never do that! " " It was epic, but okay, sorry, Astrid. " She heard a voice say, one she didn't know.

With a groan, she raised herself in a sitting position. There, along with Hiccup, she saw a pair of twins, a big man and a burly man.

They all looked somehow her and Hiccup's age, so she guessed these were Hiccup's friends he talked about a few times before. She could recognise their faces from when she first met their kin, but they've never properly been introduced.

Hiccup seemed to have calmed down, his face turned into his usual friendly smile. " Astrid, I want to introduce you to this.. bunch I call my friends. " He slightly joked, earning him a playful clap on the back of his head by a man with long, blonde dreadlocks. Beside him stood a woman almost identical to him, with intricate braids put in one of the longest lengths of hair she had ever seen.

Next to the tall woman stood another two man, one bigger man with cropped blonde hair and the beginnings of a beard, beside him one smaller, dark haired muscled man with a smug look on his face, she narrowed her eyes as he gave her a wink.

" Tuffnut, Ruffnut " Hiccup pointed to the twins, " Fishlegs, and Snotlout. " At last he pointed at the bigger and smaller man. She gave a polite smile and a quick wave, " Hey guys, I'm Astrid. "

Ruffnut crossed her arms and smirked, " Trust me, we know all about you already. " Her gaze then settled on Hiccup and then back to her again.

Astrid's eyes narrowed and they looked from Ruffnut to Hiccup, who was currently avoiding everyone's gazes at the moment.

With a slight smile sent his way, he's back to being himself again.

" I want this room finished before tonight, so best to hurry up. " Hiccup jokingly commanded, in return getting eyerolls and smirks and a knowing chuckle from Astrid.

She watched the group spread across the large room, beginning to cleanse it again.

This was certainly something.


End file.
